Automatic steam control for lubrication systems



July 14, 1925; 1,546,283

F. W. EDWARDS AUTOMATIC STEAM CONTROL FOR LUBRICATION SYSTEMS Filed Aug. 5, 1923 4 NA 7 x5 Q ,JNNI Q l I hmwkw Patented July 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FBANK W. EDWARDS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE OHIO INJECTOR COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

AUTOI'IATIC STEAIvI CONTROL FOR LUBBICATION SYSTEMS.

Application filed August 3, 1923.

T 0 (IZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, FRANK IV. Eowanns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Steam Controls for Lubrication Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to lulnricators, preferably of the condensation displacement type, known as flange oilers and commonly used on railway locomotives, and the object of the invention is to provide for anton'iatic operation of such lubricators during the entire time that the locomotive is in service, that is to say, when it is not in the round-house.

It is desirable to have luhricators of the type above mentioned connected with a source of steam. to be condensed for the purpose of displacing the oil and feeding it to the discharge nozzles and thence to the flanges of the drive wheels, in such a manner that the luhricator will feed oil to these discharge nozzles immediately upon the starting of the locomotive.

If the lubricator is connected with the locomotive boiler in such a manner that the engineer must open a steam valve to admit steam to the condenser coil of the lubricator when the locomotive is started, it has been found in practice that quite frequently, inasmuch. as the operation of the lubricator is not essential to the operation of the train, the engineer forgets or neglects to open the valve to admit steam to the condenser coil, and, in consequence, the lubricator does not operate, and no oil is fed to the flanges of the drive wheels of the locomotive.

Among the various devices and auxiliaries which must necessarily be put in operation by the engineer in order to operate the locomotive and control the train drawn thereby, is the air pump which furnishes air for the air brake system of the train, and the steam supply valve for operating this air pump must be opened by the engineer in order that the pump will be capable of automatic operation whenever it is necessary to replenish the supply of air for the air brake system.

In my Patent, No. 1,433,449, granted Oct. 24, 1922, I have shown, described and Serial No. 655,484.

claimed a condensation displacement lubricator in which the feed of water of condensation from the condenser coil to the oil bowl, and the feed of oil from the oil bowl of the lubricator to the discharge nozles thereof are automatically controlled in response to the swaying or vibration of the locomotive when running, and as set forth in the specification of that patent, by using a lubricator of the type disclosed in the patent, and connecting the condenser coil of same with the line which conveys steam to the air pump of the air brake system, I provide an installation whereby the flange oiler is capable of operation. at any time during the time'that the locomotive is in service, for the reason that the supply of steam to the air pump being always open when the locomotive is in service, the supply of steam to the condenser coil of the lubricator is always available while the locomotive is in service.

The invention consists in an automatic steam control for lubrication systems comprising means whereby to turn on steam to the flange oiler mechanism as and when ever it is turned on to the air pump or other auxiliary which must be put in operation if the locomotive and its train are to be effectively operated, thus automatically providing for a steam supply for the flange oiler when the locomotive is in service and insuring a completely automatic operation of the flange oiler, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a semi-diagrammatic view of the lubricator installed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section of a portion of the lubricator on a larger scale and showing the means for automatically controlling the flow of water of condensation from the condenser coil to the oil bowl.

In the installation shown in Fig. 1, 1 is a boiler or other steam generator having a steam boX 2 connected by means of a pipe connection 3 controlled by a valve 4, with an air pump 5,. 6 is the lubricat0r,,having an oil bowl 7 a condenser coil 8 and oil feed tubes 9 arranged on opposite sides of the oil bowl 7, these tubes 9 being connected by means of pipes with the feet tips (not shown) located adjacent to the drive wheels of the locomotive.

Steam is fed to the condenser coil 8 through an elbow 11 connected with a pipe 12 which leads to a T 13 interposed in the steam pipe 3 between the valve 1 and the pump 5. It will be seen that by this arrangement live steam will be supplied to the coil 8 through the pipe 12 at all times when the valve 4 is open to furnish steam through pipe 3 to the air pump 5.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that, as pointed out in my patent above mentioned, I interp'ose between the condenser coil 8 and the oil bowl 7 a motion responsive valve A comprising a chamber 1 1 having radially inclined bottom 15 provided with a central aperture 16 communicating with a water pipe 17 which extends substantially to the bottom of the oil bowl and conducts water of condensation from the condenser 8 into the oil bowl to raise the oil therein. In thischamber 14- is mounts: a heavy ball 18 adapted to center itself over and close the opening 16 when the lubrjcator is motionless, but capable when the lubricator is swayed or moved, as would be caused by lurching of the locomotive when travelling, of rolling away from the opening 16 and allowing water of condensation to feed from the condenser S into the pipe 17. It will thus be seen that no matter whether the engineer turns ofi' the supply of steam to the pipe 3 or not, no water will be fed from the condenseninto the oil bowl except when the locomotive is in motion. A similar motion responsive valve for each of the tubes 9 is provided at B for the purpose of controlling the flow of oil through the arms 19 to the tips 20 and thence through the tubes 9 to the pipes 10 and the feed tips or nozzles connected therewith.

. It is obvious, therefore, that by the installation above described, I provide a flange oiler which is entirely automatic in its operation in response to movement of the locomotive while running, so long as steam is supplied through the pipe 3 to the air pump 5, or in other words, so long as the locomotive is in service, thus requiring, for its perfect performance, no attention from the engineer apart from his ordinary duties.

The fact that the air pump steam line must be under steam pressure when the locomotive is in service makes the connection from this source of steam supply most desirable. However, a connection to any other auxiliary or steam pipe or container of live steam that is under live steam pressure when the locomotive is in service and from which the steam pressure is cut ofl when the locomotive goes into the round-housc or other storage, will be just as effective and come within the scope of this invention.

I have herein above specified the connection of the condenser coil with a source of live steam, and, while this would not he essential in the case of locomotives used c):- clusively in warm climates, it is essential for general use wherein sudden temperature changes are encountered in that premature condensation and freezing are thereby avoided.

It is contemplated that various other changes may be made in theinstallation shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore to be understood that I do not con sider the invention as limited to the specific installation set forth except as pointed out in the following claims.

What I claim is z- 1. An automatic steam control for lubrication systems, comprising in combination, a steam generator, a steam operated auxiliary, a steam connection between said generator and auxiliary for supplying live steam thereto, and a condensation displacement lubricator having a condenser connected with the connection between said generator and auxiliary for supplying live steam to said condenser.

2. An automatic steam control for lubrication systems, comprising in combination, a steam generator, an air pump, a valvecontrolled steam connection between said generator and pump for supplying live steam to said pump, and a condensation displacement lubricator having a condenser connected with the steam connection between said generator and pump for supplying live steam to said condenser.

3. An automatic steam control for lubrication systems, comprising in combination, a steam generator, an air pump, a steam connection between said generator and pump, a valve in said connection, and a condensation displacement lubricator having a condenser connccted with the steam connection between said generator and pump intermediate said valve and pump for supplying steam to said condenser, whereby when the steam is supplied to said pump it will be supplied also to the condenser of said lubri" cator.

. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this first day of August, A. D. 1923.

FRANK w; EDWARDS. 

